A sweet celebration at Manning Hospital with general manager Jodi Nieass and Pink Ladies' president Corinne Lang.

It’s official! The pleasure of picking a perfect mix of Pink Ladies’ lollies at Manning Hospital kiosk will continue to be on offer to all staff, patients and visitors.

A sweet celebration of sorts occurred today in Taree when Jodi Nieass, the hospital’s general manager picked her perfect lolly bag - one filled with red frogs - with the help of Pink Ladies’ president, Corinne Lang.

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She also happily announced the news that our community and the Pink Ladies had been hoping to hear - that the kiosk and its lollies are exempt from the new ‘NSW Healthy Food and Drink for staff and visitors in NSW Health Facilities Framework’. The lollies can stay as kiosk sales raised more than $57,000 in the last three years for the hospital – and fundraising is exempt from the framework changes.

“Manning Hospital’s Pink Ladies are a valuable part of our team and I appreciate all of the effort that goes into raising funds for our hospital,” Ms Nieass said.

President Corinne recently raised the alarm in the Manning River Times about the potential threat to the future of the popular lolly counter at the kiosk.

She acted to highlight the dollar value of what the Pink Ladies’ contribute to the hospital with the hope that Hunter New England Local Health District would act to classify the kiosk area as a fundraising activity, and enable it be exempt from the guidelines.

April 2017: Judith Modderno, Leanne O'Grady, Colin Keen, Erin Hunt, Pink Ladies' president Corinne Lang, Beverly Danilczak, Betty Grant, Denise Jones and Sue Arber at the presentation of seven analyser machines for use at Manning and Wingham Hospital. See above story link for more information.

The community heard Corinne’s appeal and hundreds of people rallied to voice their support for the Pink Ladies’ kiosk, and the right to buy lollies.

“We are finished if we can't sell the lollies and other food items that don't fit within the new policy guidelines,” Corinne said. “If they took that off us then there would be no sense in us working here, so they would lose about 25 women because they are not going to come in here to do nothing.”

“Most people are aged over 18 who come in here to buy our lollies … it goes back to the fact that most of our customers are adults and should have the right to choose.”

So Corinne and the team of volunteers will now continue to sell three red frogs for 20 cents, six freckles for 20 cents, four pineapples for 20 cents … “it’s a lot of hard yakka … 20 cents here, 50 cents there, but it all adds up and it’s worth it.”